There are many reasons to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode, including troubleshooting problematic software, configuring your computer, or running diagnostics. While you can start Windows 10 in Safe Mode by pressing the Shift key during startup and then selecting Restart, there’s another way that doesn’t require a restart at all. Here’s how to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode and then exit later.
How to Start Windows 10 in Safe Mode
After booting up, open the command prompt window by pressing Shift+F10 on your keyboard. Copy the below command into the window and hit Enter:
bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes && {shutdown -s -r -t 1} Press Yes if you’re sure that you want to change this setting. After entering that command, restart your computer by typing shutdown -r . You’ll see a menu when it restarts. Choose Boot from another drive. In the resulting window, choose C:\Windows as your boot location and then restart the computer again by typing shutdown -r . You’ll see a menu when it restarts; select Safe Mode.
How to Shut Down your Computer from the Startup Menu
- Press the Windows button or key on your keyboard.
- Select Shut Down. This is often called Safe Mode, but might also have a different name, depending on your PC’s manufacturer. The shutdown menu will display all available options for how to shut down your computer.
- Scroll down and select Start Up. You’ll be prompted for an administrator account password before being taken back to the startup menu.
- Click the Shut Down button that appears beneath the option you selected from step 2, which will be called something like Power Off, Restart, or Hibernate.
How to Access Recovery Console from the Startup Menu
First, power off your device, press the Power button to turn it back on, and then press the Shift key as you select Restart. You’ll then be presented with a menu of options, so select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings. Click Restart. Now you should see the option Enable Safe Mode. Select that choice by clicking it once with your mouse or trackpad and pressing Enter on your keyboard. Wait for your PC to restart and start up in Safe Mode; once you’re finished doing what you need to do there, use these instructions for accessing Recovery Console from the Startup Menu again.
You’ll know you’re accessing Recovery Console from the Startup Menu because of some text that appears onscreen. For example, if you select Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt, you’ll see Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter appear briefly before your PC restarts. When it reboots, you’ll be presented with a black screen with white text and a prompt for your username. Press Enter once or twice to dismiss it; then just follow any prompts until you’re able to gain access to Recovery Console.
Tips When Running Recovery Console
Start by rebooting your computer. When the blue screen appears with a message that says Choose an option, press Shift and F10 at the same time. This will launch recovery console. You can also select the Troubleshoot option from the next screen, followed by Advanced Options > Command Prompt. Next, type sysdm.cpl without quotes into the command prompt window. Press enter, then select Enter System Startup Menu on Boot Selections, type 1-Startup Settings without quotes into the text box, and then hit Enter again.
The recovery console is a handy feature that can help you out if your computer starts acting up, or if you accidentally delete some files. For example, it’s a good place to go if you ever need to rename files or folders that start with spaces. The only problem is that it’s not easy to get out of there once you’re inside. There are two ways to exit recovery console: from within or from outside of it. To exit from within, type EXIT without quotes into the command prompt window and then press Enter again. You can also use F10 here for quicker access.
Need Help?
This section will guide you through how to start the operating system in safe mode so that you can use the tools found there, exit from it, and reboot normally. It also explains how to exit from safe mode after using the tools so that you can restart without affecting your regular startup process. To start Windows 10 in safe mode:
– Click on Start.
- On the left hand side of the screen, click on All Apps.
- Scroll down until you find Windows System or simply type System into Search box and then click on Control Panel when it appears.
- On Control Panel, click on Power Options at the top left corner of the window.
- On Power Options, click on Choose what the power buttons do under System settings.